Remote control apparatus



Aug. 14, 1956 s. K. WALCZAK REMOTE CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Sept. 28, 1954 RADAREA Fla. 4

REMOTE CONTROL APPARATUS Stanislaw K. Walczak, New York, N. Y. Application September '28, 1954, Serial No. 458,889

1 Claim. (Cl. 33-72) The present invention relates to a remote control apparatus, and more particularly to a remote control apparatus in which the sight of an object is taken by a device arranged at an exposed spot.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for changing the intensity of an electric current in dependence on the position of the sight-taking device.

It is another object of the present invention to provide means arranged in remote position from the sight-taking device, for instance on the bridge of a ship, for indicating by remote control the movement of the sight-taking device arranged at an exposed spot, such as the lookout of the vessel.

According to the present invention, the remote control apparatus comprises, in combination, a device for taking the sight of an object, the device being located at a lookout, preferably arranged on a mast of the vessel, means connected with the sight-taking device for changing the intensity of an electric current in dependence on the position of the sight-taking member, and means arranged in remote position from the sight-taking device, for instance on the bridge of the vessel, for indicating the intensity of the electric current.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof in connection with the accompanying drawing showing, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a wiring diagram of a device according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the sight-taking device forming part of the device illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevationof the device shown in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a current measuring instrument arranged on the bridge and forming part of the device indicated in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and first to Fig. l, the resistor 10 of a rheostat is arranged on the lookout (not shown) of a vessel and cooperates with a slidable contact arm 12 connected by a conductor 14 with a normally open push-button switch 16. The latter is connected to a conductor 18 connecting the contact arm 12 with the parts of the remote control apparatus arranged on the bridge (not shown) of the vessel and to be described more fully in detail hereinafter. The resistor 10 is open at one end 20 thereof, whereas the other end 22 of the resistor 10 is connected to a pilot light 24 more fully described hereinafter, which in turn is connected to a connection 26 leading to the bridge (not shown) of the vessel provided with the control apparatus.

On the bridge (not shown) are arranged a normally closed push-button switch 28 connecting the conductor 18 with an ammeter 30 connected through a lamp 32 with connection 26.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the contact arm 12 is connected to a conducting sleeve 34 held by screws 36 on an insulated member 38 forming part of a mite States Patent column 40 carrying the sight 42. The latter has a longer arm 44 and a shorter arm 46 provided with a notch 48 arranged in the center of the upper side 50 thereof. The contact arm 12 has an end 52 sliding on the resistor 10. The sleeve 34 is connected by a connection 56 with a contact piece 58, which can be connected by the con ducting member 60 of the normally open push-button switch 16 with a second contact piece 62, connected by a connection 64 with a plug 66 to be connected with a current source (not shown) which is in turn connected to the conductor 18.

The screw 36 being in conductive connection with sleeve 34, is connected by a connection 68 to the pilot light 24 which is connected to connection 26 leading to the bridge (not shown) and the control apparatus.

The resistor 10 and contact arm 12 are enclosed in a housing 70 carrying the pilot light 24 and the normally open push-button switch 16. Furthermore, the center of the housing 70 is formed as a hub 72 carrying column 48.

Referring now to Fig. 4 of the drawings showing in plan view the ammeter 30 forming part of the control apparatus and being arranged on the bridge (not shown) it will be seen that the normally closed push-button switch 28 is arranged in casing of ammeter 30. The ammeter corn.- prises a scale 82 and a pointer 84 cooperating therewith. The glass plate 86 of the ammeter is green in the right half thereof and red in the left half thereof, the lamp 32 being arranged inside the ammeter 30 so as to illuminate the glass plate 86 and the green and red halves thereof.

The operation of this device is as follows:

At the lookout, the sight 42 connected with contact arm 12 is trained on an object (not shown). Preferably, the pilot light 24 is a blue light provided with a shade (not shown) preventing the pilot light 24 from being seen from above in case of a blackout or the like. The contact arm 12 rotates together with the sight 42 and in consequence thereof a part of the resistor 10 is put into the circuit shown in Fig. 1, this part corresponding to the position of the sight-taking member 42. The resistor 10 should preferably be so selected that the ammeter 30 shows the currents required by the changing resistance value of the resistor 10.

Simultaneously with taking the sight of an object to be spotted in the sight-taking device 42, the operator at the lookout presses the normally open push-button switch 16 so as to close the same and to illuminate the pilot light 24 indicating the correct operation of the parts arranged at the lookout. As consequence of this step on the bridge (not shown) the glass plate 86 of the ammeter 3-0 is illuminated by the lamp 32 and the pointer 84 of the ammeter 30 indicates the relative bearing of the sight 42 arranged at the lookout. The officer on Watch on the bridge (not shown) reads the position of the pointer 84 on the scale 82 and presses the normally closed pushbutton switch 28 so as to interrupt the electric circuit and to extinguish the pilot light 24 so that the operator at the lookout (not shown) is informed that the message has been received at the bridge. The operator at the lookout then can transmit further messages according to agreement, such as for example:

Ship One flash. Land Two flashes. Light Three flashes.

It will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific details of embodiment described hereinabove and other embodiments thereof are to be considered as falling within the scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A. remote control apparatus, comprising, in combination, a device for taking a sight of an object, said device being arranged at an exposed spot, a resistor arranged at said exposed spot, means for causing the flow of an electric current through said resistor, a movable contact member forming part of said sight-taking device and cooperating with said resistor, a normally open hand-operated switch connected in series with said movable contact member, a pilot lamp arranged in series with said resistor, said movable contact, and said normally open-switch, said pilot lamp being arranged at said exposed spot: and indicating the flow of the electric current through said resistor and said contact member cooperating therewith, said movable contact member changing the intensity of the electric current in dependence on the orientation of said sight-taking device, an arnrneter connected in series with said current References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 444,217 Fiske Jan. 6, 1891 642,362 Pfatischer Jan. 30, 1900 870,102 Herzog Nov. 5, 1907 1,057,261 Norton Mar. 25, 1913 2,414,448 Carter Jan. 21, 1947 

